September wasn’t the most promising month for the Bates College soccer and field hockey teams, but fortunes are turning around in a hurry.
Each of those clubs has embarked upon a mid-October winning streak.
Field hockey recently picked up its third straight victory after a 1-7 start and ended a five-year winless skein against Babson.
Men’s soccer defeated in-state rivals Thomas and the University of Maine at Farmington in succession after winning only one of its first eight contests.
And women’s soccer halted a three-game losing skid with a shutout of the University of New England.
Shannon Beaton scored two goals for field hockey, including the tie-breaking tally in a 4-1 triumph over Babson.
Polly Merck scored on a penalty stroke and Caroline Falcone connected for her team-leading eighth goal of the season for the Bobcats in their “Garnet Game.” Those contests for each team were targeted by the Bates student-athlete advisory committee as a way to pack the stands and encourage athletes to support their peers in other sports.
Falcone also registered an assist in the win along with Danielle Pierce and Sarah Warden. Cristina Vega made two saves in goal for the Bobcats, who will return to NESCAC competition for a home game Saturday against Middlebury.
Men’s soccer began the turnaround with a 1-0 victory over Thomas in its Garnet Game.
Senior defender Dan Remillard scored his first goal of the season and the fourth of his career with a header in the 60th minute. Remillard’s connection was courtesy of a free kick, with Nick Ford and Matt DiVite each notching an assist.
The performance was a big moment for the Bobcats after a disheartening loss to rival Bowdoin.
“It was a good game to clear the mind, and we’ve never passed the ball so well,” coach Stewart Flaherty said in a news release.
Five hundred fans witnessed the Bobcats’ first victory since Sept. 3 against Maine Maritime.
Bates carried that momentum into the next date on the docket and built upon it in a big way with a 5-1 verdict over UMF. Sophomore Luis Pereira picked up a hat trick to underscore the Bobcats’ most explosive output of the autumn.
DiVite. a freshman who made his season debut against Thomas, chipped in his first collegiate goal along with senior tri-captain Tyler Grees.
Ryan Fairbanks of Lisbon scored an early goal for the Beavers, but Sam Polito stemmed the tide for Bates the rest of the evening, making four saves in his initial start of the season.
The Bobcats hosted Southern Maine at Garcelon Field on Wednesday night.
Lily Peterson and Hannah Graves each grabbed a goal for women’s soccer in the 2-0 triumph over UNE. Graves and Kara Stefaniak logged assists for the Bobcats (3-6-1), who will try to make it two straight at 11 a.m. Saturday against Middlebury.
Six-state standouts
Bates’ cross country teams shone brightly Saturday in the Open New England meet, held at Franklin Park in Boston.
The men, ranked No. 14 in NCAA Division III, trailed only Middlebury out of the 13 D3 schools at the event and were seventh overall out of 41 schools. That was the Bobcats’ best finish since they ran fifth in 1984.
The women were fourth in the D3 competition and 18th overall.
Senior Mike Martin was the top men’s D3 runner on the day, covering the 8-kilometer course in 24 minutes, 42 seconds. His finish of eighth overall is tops among Bates racers since Mike Danahy in 1999
Tully Hannan, also a senior captain, was fourth in his division and 19th in the pack with a time of 24:58.
Other leading runners for Bates were junior John Stansel (25:19, 39th), senior Noah Graboys (25:38, 54th), sophomore Gregg Heller (26:19, 122nd), junior Christian Sampson (26:40, 158th) and freshman Joe Doyle (26:50, 174th).
Kallie Nixon was 65th and Hannah Zeltner 71st in the women’s race. Elena Jay, Gabrielle Naranja and Mira Carey-Hatch rounded out the Bobcats’ scorers, all in the top 125.
Addie Cullenberg of Farmington represented Bates in the sub-varsity race, placing 62nd out of 299 runners.
Both teams now set their sights on the State of Maine Championships, to be held Saturday at Colby College in Waterville. The women run at 11 a.m., with the men at noon.
Quick hits
• First-year golfer Brad Rutkin placed second out of 15 individuals in the CBB Championship at Brunswick Golf Club. Rufkin shot 4-over 76, one shot off the low medalist’s pace. Garrett Johnson carded a 79 for the Bobcats. Bowdoin won the tournament. Bates next competes in the NEIGA Championship, Oct. 27 and 28 at Captains Golf Course in Brewster, Mass.
• Two men’s doubles tandems advanced to the semifinals of Bates’ own Wallach Tournament. Eric Ruta teamed with Patrick Ordway and Ben Bogard partnered with Peter Yanofsky to reach the final four in the ‘A’ flight. Bogard also won a match in the ‘B’ singles bracket. Nine schools were represented. Bates wraps up the fall season with a trip Nov. 8-10 to the Florida Clay Court Classic.
koakes@sunjournal.com
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